joe545 Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Just moved to a house that a previous owner went mental for downlights - there's like 20 in the kitchen alone. Quite a few need replacing but I'm struggling to get the things out and in again. Took me 4 hours (and many sore fingers) to just do one! The problem is with the metal retaining rings that looks like this: http://tinyurl.com/oa939c6 I've watched guides about it and they make it look so easy and here's me struggling to get a grip on them with fingers or pliers. Getting them back in was lethal as they were pinging all over the place when I tried to use pliers to push them back in. The spotlights downstairs were easy to remove (but no easier to put back in) and look slightly different: http://tinyurl.com/otq7osv Any one got any tips as to where I'm going wrong? Surely it shouldn't be this hard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hannibal smith Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Are you not meant to squeeze the two end points together to get them out easily? Works with ours easy enough. We have a suction pad which came with them when we bought the lights which makes them easy enough to change Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandydunn Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 (edited) Hannibal is right,squeeze them together at the ends and they should come easily enough. Depending on the age of them,the heat may be playing in a part and slightly knocking things out of shape,or the lamps may not have been put in straight before,they can get jammed if they go in at an angle and are a nightmare to get out again. And I doubt I need to say this,but you're not doing them when you just switched them off? The heat of them certainly won't help you. Edited October 30, 2015 by dandydunn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe545 Posted October 30, 2015 Author Share Posted October 30, 2015 Yeah, that's what all the guides/videos say but mine's are really stiff or compressed too much. Can barely squeeze them at all with my fingers and they are not long enough to get a good grip with pliers. The lights are also the move-able ones which makes it harder. Are there types without these metal rings? If these are so hard to change then there's not much point having them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandydunn Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Have you tried twisting the lamps? There are ones with the lampholder fixed to the fitting itself. They shouldn't be that difficult,I would change them all. And when you do,go with led lamps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe545 Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share Posted October 31, 2015 Hmm went to the local light shop and the wire clips on the lights there are super easy to take out and put in. Whereas mine are a nightmare. Maybe the metal has expanded over the years to make them too large? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davierobbsagod Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Ive just had a quick scan of this thread and no -one has mentioned long nosed pliers,if you don't know what these are and you cant remove the retaining ring from downlighters then you're on yer own.....youngsters nowadays.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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